Cookies containing psyllium

Abstract

Disclosed are cookies containing psyllium and a method for making those cookies. The cookies may additionally contain polyol polyesters. These cookies provide an effective method for introducing psyllium into the diet to treat gastrointestinal disorders, such as constipation or diarrhea, as well as a method for introducing psyllium and polyol polyesters into the diet to reduce blood cholesterol levels.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for making a psyllium-containing cookie dough comprising the steps of: (a) combining from about 3% to about 15%, by weight of the dough, of a liquid component selected from the group consisting of water, fresh egg, and mixtures thereof, with from about 0.6% to about 35%, by weight of the dough, of a dry ingredient component selected from the group consisting of sugar, flour, non-pre-gelatinized starch, egg solids, protein solids, and mixtures thereof;   (b) combining from about 10% to about 35% by weight of the dough, of a fluid shortening component with the mixtures of (a); and   (c) combining the mixture of (b) with from about 5% to about 30%, by weight of the dough, of a psyllium component, and other conventional cookie components to form said dough.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 which further comprises forming the dough into from about 10 g to about 30 g cookie portions. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2 which further comprises baking the cookie dough portions at a temperature of from about 149° C. to about 190° C. for from about 5 minutes to about 15 minutes. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 3 wherein the dry ingredient component comprises sugar. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 4 wherein the dry ingredient component comprises sucrose. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 3 wherein from about 10% to about 100%, of the shortening component comprises a premelted, nondigestible, nonabsorbable, polyol polyester. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 6 wherein the polyol polyester is selected from the group consisting of sucrose octaoleate, sucrose octastearate, sucrose octalinoleate, sucrose octapalmitate, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       8. A method for making a psyllium-containing cookie dough comprising the steps of: (a) combining from about 3% to about 15%, by weight of the dough, of a liquid component selected from the group consisting of water, fresh egg, and mixtures thereof, with from about 10% to about 30%, by weight of the dough, of a sugar component;   (b) combining from about 10% to about 35%, by weight of the dough, of a fluid shortening component with the mixture of (a);   (c) mixing together from 0% to about 30%, by weight of the dough, of a flour component, from 0% to about 30%, by weight of the dough, of a starch component, from about 0.1% to about 2%, by weight of the dough, of a dry egg white component, and from about 5% to about 30%, by weight of the dough, of a psyllium component, and then combining this mixture with the mixture of (b).   
     
     
       9. The method of claim 8 wherein the dough is formed into from about 10 g to about 30 g cookie portions. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 9 wherein the cookie portions are baked at a temperature of from about 149° C. to about 190° C. for from about 5 minutes to about 15 minutes. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 10 wherein the sugar component comprises sucrose. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim 10 wherein the flour component comprises all-purpose wheat flour. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 10 wherein the liquid component comprises water. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 10 wherein the starch component comprises pregelatinized starch. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 10 wherein the shortening component comprises a hydrogenated soybean-based shortening. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 10 wherein from about 10% to about 100% of the shortening component comprises a premelted, nondigestible, nonabsorbable, polyol polyester. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 16 wherein the polyol polyester is selected from the group consisting of sucrose octaoleate, sucrose octalinoleate, sucrose octapalmitate, sucrose octastearate and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       18. The product of the process of claim 3. 
     
     
       19. The product of the process of claim 6. 
     
     
       20. The product of the process of claim 10. 
     
     
       21. The product of the process of claim 16.